Thaindian News

London, Jan. 28 (ANI): The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has dispelled fears of poor attendances at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after announcing that two million tickets of the match have already been sold.

The sales reflect a surge of interest from South African residents, easing concerns about apathy in the host nation.

Of the 1.2 million applications received in the third ticketing phase, 79 percent were from South Africans.

“All games of the South African team will be sold out,” Sky News quoted Danny Jordaan, the head of the Local Organising Committee, as saying.

Of the other 191 nations to apply for tickets, the United States is in the lead with 50,217 applications, followed by England with 41,529.

However, there have been relatively low numbers of applications from other leading football nations, including Germany with just 14,647.

The tickets have been assigned according to a lottery system in the first three phases.

From February 9, the fourth phase will be “first come, first served”.

In the last phase, the last available tickets will be available over the counter in each of the host cities in South Africa.

The increase in demand for tickets for Africa’s first World Cup will be a relief for FIFA, which has faced criticism for choosing to host the tournament in a nation with one of the highest crime rates in the world.

However FIFA has defended its choice.

“It’s crazy and completely wrong. Give South Africa a chance,” Jerome Valke, the body’s General Secretary said. (ANI)